Chapter Seven: First Battle

Ring, ring, ring.

Suddenly, a pleasant ringing sound rang out.

"Oh no, it's already this late."

Tony's expression changed. "Dian, be careful on your way home. Uncle still has something to do."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately sprinted toward his home at top speed.

A true warrior dared to face torrents of blood—and apparently, the washboard at home.

"The sorrow of a married man..."

Dian estimated the time and silently mourned for Tony. He was definitely going to have to kneel on the washboard when he got home.

He took the money out of the envelope and put it in his pocket. Then he folded the envelope and tossed it into the Snorlax trash can beside him before walking toward the department store.

With four thousand more in his budget, he could prepare more things.

In the end, Dian used the extra four thousand yuan to buy another set of clothes, as well as a warm Sleeping Bag, a lightweight mat, and a dark-colored tent.

After putting everything into a backpack, he silently gave the researchers a thumbs-up.

This lightweight style was truly convenient. He could grab his bag and head out anytime, live wherever he wanted, and never even had to pay rent.

A refreshing aura washed over him, carrying the nourishment of nature and making him unconsciously close his eyes to listen to the heartbeat of life.

"Whoosh..."

Dian exhaled deeply. He glanced at the familiar yet unfamiliar city behind him, then resolutely stepped into the endless mountain forest.

"Our goal is!"

"Dream!"

Misdreavus sprang out from behind him, grabbed his head, and waved her little hands.

Soon, Dian and Misdreavus disappeared into the sea of green.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Dian lay flat on the ground and slowly crawled forward. He pushed aside a large green leaf in front of him and saw a plump Weedle munching loudly on leaves.

He whispered to Misdreavus beside him, "Little Mismy, do you know that the essence of battle is being able to hit the enemy while the enemy can't hit you?"

Misdreavus nodded as if she understood, her face adorably blank.

Dian wasn't worried in the slightest. Few Ghost-type Pokémon had gentle personalities, and Misdreavus already loved playing pranks. She would quickly adapt to this kite-flying style of battle.

"Shadow Sneak!"

He waited until Weedle had finished eating and was preparing to find a place to hide, then immediately ordered, "Don't hit it too hard. Strike it once, then hide and keep using Shadow Sneak!"

Misdreavus nodded and flew off, hiding behind a tree as she used Shadow Sneak.

The shadow on the ground shot rapidly toward Weedle, lightly touching its tail before coming to a stop.

"Beed!"

Weedle was startled, but it didn't immediately flee. Instead, it spat white threads in every direction, cautiously looking around with its tiny eyes. Its pink nose twitched, as if sensing something.

Unfortunately, the innate advantages of Ghost-type Pokémon made all of this futile.

Misdreavus hid behind the tree. She jumped when she saw the white threads winding toward her, but after looking at Dian and seeing him press down on his hand, she stayed still.

"Mis!"

When Misdreavus saw that none of the threads around her had touched her, she smiled happily.

Then she looked at the cautiously guarded Weedle, a strange light flashing in her eyes.

Dian had been silently watching Misdreavus's expression all along. Seeing this change, he let out a relieved breath.

A Pokémon like Misdreavus, with an extremely strong curiosity, had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that she became exceptionally engrossed in things she liked or found interesting. Naturally, she wouldn't seriously study or think about things that didn't interest her.

Forcing her too hard might backfire.

Fortunately, his Misdreavus seemed to have awakened a joy in battling. All that remained was for him, as her Trainer, to guide her.

Dian gestured to Misdreavus, telling her to continue using Shadow Sneak.

A black shadow darted rapidly toward Weedle, zigzagging left and right, forward and backward.

"Beed!"

Weedle flew into a rage and immediately spat out a Poison Sting, followed by white threads. But it was still useless; it couldn't even find the enemy's figure.

"Beed..."

In the end, Weedle helplessly curled into a ball and gave up resisting.

Dian didn't lower his guard, however. Weedle couldn't have grown so fat simply by being a Glutton. Its physical qualities had to be exceptional as well, so it definitely wouldn't give up so easily.

But he didn't warn Misdreavus. Some things could only be understood through personal experience.

Sure enough, Misdreavus still couldn't keep her composure. After seeing Weedle give up resisting, she relaxed her guard and exposed an opening.

She brazenly poked her head out, looking at Weedle with an expression that said her prank had succeeded.

"Beed!!"

A sharp glint flashed in Weedle's eyes. It immediately spat out a Poison Sting, faster and more vicious than the ones before.

"Mis!"

Seeing the Poison Sting speeding toward her, Misdreavus instinctively closed her eyes, forgetting to dodge.

Just then!

"Use your shadow to block the Poison Sting, then attack Weedle while you're at it!"

Dian shouted quickly, then clenched both fists and stared intently at the battlefield.

Hearing him, Misdreavus opened her eyes. The red bead at her throat gleamed with an eerie Red Light beneath the sun.

The shadow beneath her rapidly rose like a wall, blocking the incoming Poison Sting. Then it suddenly condensed into a single mass and slammed viciously into Weedle.

Bang!

Weedle was horrified, but it couldn't dodge at all. The black whip struck it and sent it flying beneath a large tree. Circles spun in its tiny eyes before it fainted on the ground.

Only then did Dian relax. When he unclenched his fists, he realized they were covered in sweat.

He gave a wry smile and went over to pick up the panting Misdreavus. "You did great!"

Those words weren't only for Misdreavus. They were also for himself.

"Mis!!"

Misdreavus cried out happily and flew around in every direction. She even circled once above the Weedle still unconscious on the ground, proclaiming her victory.

Dian smiled silently. He went over to check Weedle's injuries and found that it had only been knocked unconscious and wasn't hurt.

He took out a Pokéblock from his clothes, placed it beside Weedle, and covered it with a leaf.

"Let's go, Misdreavus. Let's find our next opponent!"

Dian took a deep breath to calm his excitement, then walked forward.

"Beed."

Weedle woke up and looked around in confusion. "Beed!"

It seemed to remember what had happened, and immediately became cautious. "Beed?"

Its nose twitched. It smelled the general-flavored Pokéblock beneath the leaf, and the heart of a Glutton quickly won out. It swallowed it in one bite.

"Beed!"

Weedle cried out happily, then looked around before darting into the grass and disappearing without a trace.